Brassiere



Nov. 17, 1936. v HOLLAR 2,061,402

BRAssIfiRE Filed March 16, 1935 Patented Nov. 17, 1936 PAENT BRASSIEBE John V. Holler, East Orange, N. J., assignor to Vogue Mfg. 00., Newark, N. 3., a corporation of New Jersey Application March 16, 1935, Serial No. 11,406

4-Olaims. (Cl. 2-42) This invention relates to improvements in womensundergarments; and the invention has reference, more particularly, to a novel and improved construction of brassiere.

The invention has for its principal object to provide a novel construction of brassiere of the full-fashioned type which not only serves to enclose the wearers breasts, but also to support and mould the same to firmly uplifted and rounded contours; to this end a novel relatively rigid but flexible supporting means is incorporated with the lower parts or hemispheres of the breast-receiving portions of the brassiere, which, when the latter is put on by the wearer, will underlie ,and flex transversely around the lower or under portions of the wearers breasts with firm uplifting, rounding and supporting effect thereupon.

The invention has for a further object to pro- .vide in connection with the lower parts or hemi spheres of the breast-receiving portions of the brassiere, at the interior sides thereof, upwardly open pockets to not only removably receive the novel relatively rigid but flexible breast uplifting and supporting means which is a feature of this invention, but to floatingly support the same so that it automatically adjusts itself to the wearers bust without tendency to dig into the flesh or otherwise cause discomfort to the wearer.

The invention has for another object to provide the novel relatively rigid but flexible uplifting and supporting means hereinabove referred to in the form of an initially flat sheet of pyroxylin or any other or like material which possesses the requisite flexibility and which is unaffected by moisture; such sheet having a curvilinear periphery of suitable outline, so as to avoid sharp corners or projections likely to irritate the wearer of the brassire with which said sheets are incorporated.

Other objects of this invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated,. will be understood from the following detailed description of the same.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the novel brassiere structure according to this invention, as it appears when upon the person of the wearer; Fig. 2 is an inside face view of the breast-receiving portions of the brassiere, this view being drawn on an enlarged scale; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section, taken on line 3-3 in Fig. 2, but drawn upon a somewhat further enlarged scalep and Fig. 4 is a face view of one of the breast uplifting and supporting devices utilized in connection with the breast-receiving portions of the brassiere. 7

Similar characters of reference are employed in the hereinabove described views, to indicate 5 corresponding parts. Referring to the drawing, the brassiere comprises a pair of breast-receiving portions, preferably of the full-fashioned type, the same being preferably connected together by an intermediate panel or diaphragm section 5 stitched or otherwise secured thereto or formed therewith. Each breast-receiving portion preferably comprises a shaped upper hemisphere section 5 and a shaped lower hemisphere section I. The meeting edges of the cooperating hemisphere sections 6 and i are suitably joined together, as by a stitched seam 8, and the same are so cut, that when joined they furnish the substantially concavo-convex formation desired for the full-fashioned breast-receiving portions of the brassiere. Joined to the outer margins or sides of the respective breast-receiving portions are the usual back straps or sections 9, which pass around the sides of the wearers torso to encircle the latter and to meet at the back thereof. Preferably the free meeting extremities of said back straps or sections 9 are provided with cooperative separable fastener means (not shown) for joining the same together in the customary manner so as to hold the brassiere in place on and about the wearers body. One or both of said backstraps or sections 9 may include an elastic section to assure the desired tight encircling fit of the brassiere, as-is well understood in the art.

Provided in connection with the interior. face of the lower hemisphere section I of each breastreceiving portion of the brassiere, is a lining member or panel Ill of suitable textile fabric, the same corresponding in peripheral shape substantially to that of said lower hemisphere section, and being stitched or otherwise secured by its margins to the latter, except that a portion of the upper margin thereof is cutaway, as at H, so as to be free and thereby form a mouth opening l2 of reduced width leading inwardly into a receiving pocket l3 formed intermediate said lower hemisphere section I and said lining member or panel It. This pocket is adapted to receive and hold the novel uplifting and supporting means involved in this inventon.

The uplifting and supporting means adapted to be cooperatively related to the lower hemisphere section of each breast-receiving portion of the brassiere, comprises a comparatively thin sheet l4 of relatively rigid but flexible pyroxylin material or any other material adapted to provide the desired flexible characteristics. 'Ifhis sheet I4 is formed with an outwardly bowed or curved lower peripheral margin l5 and an inwardly bowed or curved upper peripheral margin l8 and with rounded or more or less semi-circular inner end margins I1 and outer end margins l8. Preferably the outer end portions defined by the ends margins l8 are somewhat larger than the inner end portions defined by the end margins l'l.

Before the wearer dons the brassiere, an uplifting and supporting sheet I4 is inserted endwise through the mouth'opening l2 and then turned into position within the pocket l3 contiguous to the lower hemisphere section of each breast-receiving portion; said sheets l4 being preferably disposed with their smaller end portions'toward the intermediate panel or diaphragm section 5 of the brassiere. When the sheets ll are thus operatively disposed in the pockets l3, their lower outwardly curved margins I5 will generally conform to the curved shape of the bottom of the brassiere breast-receiving portions, while the upper inwardly curved margins IE will extend across the upper parts of the lower hemisphere sections 1 contiguous to the curved mouths of the pockets it formed therewith, thereby being positioned to properly engage the wearers breasts when the brassiere is put on.

The usual shoulder straps l9 are provided to extend from the peaks of the upper hemisphere sections 6 of the breast-receiving portions back to the back straps or sections 9 of the brassiere in the customary manner.

In applying the brassiere, the wearers breasts are inserted in the breast-receiving portions, with the arms extended through the loops of the shoulder straps l9, so that the latter extend over the wearers shoulders in the usual manner. As the back straps or sections 9 are passed around the sides of the body and joined together, the lower hemisphere-sections l of the breast receiving portions are thereby drawn snugly and tightly beneath the under sides of the wearers breasts, whereby the uplifting and supporting sheets it within the pockets thereof are flexed transversely from end to end, thereby lifting the breasts upward and projecting the same forward within the confines of the breast-receiving portions of the brassiere. In this manner the breasts are not only uplifted, but are at the same time molded into the desired rounded and projecting contours desired. Inasmuch as the uplifting and supporting sheets I4 are flexed transversely, such curvature thereof stiifens the same against bending or yielding in the directions of their vertical axes,

and consequently a flrm support of the breast is assumed against any displacement from the uplifted and molded condition imparted thereto.

, Owing to the fact that the uplifting and supporting sheets ll are not in immovably fastened relation to the lower hemisphere sections 1 of the breast-supporting portions of the brassiere, but are more or less floatingly carried in the pockets l3 of these parts, the same will be self-adjusting to the most efiective functional relation to the shifting under stress of body bending movements of the wearer as to prevent any undue digging or thrusting into the wearers flesh, thus avoiding all discomfort attendant upon such action, which would occur were the sheets l4 immovably afflxed to the breast-receiving portions of the brassiere.

In addition to the functional advantages mentioned consequent upon the free floating support of the uplifting and supporting sheets I in connection with the brassiere, there is the additional advantage that the same are removably related to the latter, and consequently may be quickly and easily removed from the brassiere as occasion requires laundering and ironing of the latter.

I am aware that various changes could be made in the above-described constructions, and that widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof. It is therefore intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:-

1. A brassiere having breast-receiving portions provided with pockets at and contiguous to the interior faces of the lower hemisphere sections thereof, said pockets having upwardly open mouths, and atransversely elongated sheet of relatively rigid initially flat but flexible material removably disposed within each pocket capable of flexing transversely about the undersides only of the wearers breasts and thus being stiflened vertically with uplifting, supporting and molding effect upon the latter, and the mouths'of said pockets being of a length substantially less than the lateral extension of the pockets whereby the inserted sheets are disposed in enclosed lateral end sections of the pockets and thus retained against escape, the pocket interiors being somewhat larger in area than the inserted sheets whereby the latter are floatingly sustained for self-adjustment to the wearers body under body moving stresses.

2. A brassiere having breast receiving'portions provided with upwardly open pockets at and contiguous to the interior faces of the lower hemisphere sections thereof, and a transversely elongated sheet of initiallyflat relatively rigid but flexible material removably disposed within each pocketcapable of flexing transversely about the undersides only of the wearers breasts and thus being stiffened vertically with uplifting, supporting and molding effect upon the latter, said sheets having concave curvilinear upper peripheries and rounded ends, said upper peripheries being spaced in use below the nipples of the wearer's breasts, and the mouths of said pockets being of a length substantially less than the lateral extension oi. the pockets whereby the inserted sheets are disposed in enclosed lateral end sections of the pockets and thus retained against escape, the pocket interiors being somewhat larger in area than the inserted sheets whereby the latter are floatingly sustained for self-adjustment to the wearers body under body moving stresses.

3. A brassiere having breast-receiving portions provided with pockets at and contiguous to the interior faces of the lower hemisphere sections thereof, said pockets having upwardly open sections, said pockets having at their upper transverse ends open mouths of widths less than the widths of said pockets, anda removable initially fiat sheet of relatively rigid but flexible material enterable through said mouths to lie within each of said pockets, said sheets, when in position within. said pockets, being capable of flexing transversely and being thus stifiened vertically, when the brassire is applied to the wearers person, with uplifting, supporting and molding efiect upon the wearers breasts, said sheets having outwardly bowed lower-peripheral margins, inwardly bowed upper peripheral margins and rounded substantially semi-circular end portions.

J OHN V. HOLLAR. 

